OCD - What is OCD

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

Why OCD is never understood properly by the masses? I often hear people joking about someone with an OCD, People with OCD are often reluctant to seek help because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. OCD is a health condition like any other, so there's nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Having OCD does not mean you're "mad" and it's not your fault you have it.

Symptoms can be either obsessions or compulsions, or both these can be mild and gradually progress in severity, stress worsens the symptoms with persistent, repeated and unwanted thoughts.

You might find that sometimes your obsessions and compulsions are manageable, and at other times they may make your day-to-day life really difficult. They may be more severe when you are stressed about other things, like life changes, health, money, work or relationships.

What's it like to live with OCD?

Although many people experience minor obsessions (such as worrying about leaving the gas on, or if the door is locked) and compulsions (such as avoiding the cracks in the pavement), these don’t significantly interfere with daily life, or are short-lived.

If you experience OCD, it's likely that your obsessions and compulsions will have a big impact on how you live your life:

Disruption to your day-to-day life. Repeating compulsions can take up a lot of time, and you might avoid certain situations that trigger your OCD. This can mean that you're not able to go to work, see family and friends, eat out or even go outside. Obsessive thoughts can make it hard to concentrate and leave you feeling exhausted.

Impact on your relationships. You may feel that you have to hide your OCD from people close to you – or your doubts and anxieties about a relationship may make it too difficult to continue.

Feeling ashamed or lonely. You may feel ashamed of your obsessive thoughts, or worry that they can't be treated. You might want to hide this part of you from other people, and find it hard to be around people or to go outside. This can make you feel isolated and lonely.

Feeling anxious. You may find that your obsessions and compulsions are making you feel anxious and stressed. For example, some people feel that they become slaves to their compulsions and have to carry them out so frequently that they have little control over them.

OCD and stigma

Lots of people have misconceptions about OCD. Some people think it just means you wash your hands a lot or you like things to be tidy. They might even make jokes about it, or describe themselves as a 'little bit OCD'.

This can be frustrating and upsetting, especially if someone who feels this way is a friend, colleague, family member or a healthcare professional.

Stigma about OCD can make it difficult to talk about, but it's important to remember you are not alone, and you don't have to put up with people treating you badly.

The year 2020 has not been very kind to the whole world, let's try to understand each other, all of us has our burdens to bear, Thank you for reading this article, stay safe, stay healthy.

Omer